Method of treating strip metal



Oct. 17, 1939.

CE. MOORE um'non 0F TREATING. STRIP METAL Filed May 29, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 1 lmzeidar: CHEL EMOOEE, fi/s fl/farneys.

Oct. 17, 1939.

c. E. MOORE IETHOD OF TREATING STRIP METAL Filed May 29, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jwzoenlar: & CHE; E. MOO/Q5,

Oct. 17, 1939.- c. E. MOORE IMHO D OF TREATING STRIP META L 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 29, 1956 [mm 5507'." E Moo/e5,

C4EL fi Ii 4/70/0256.

Patented Oct. 17, 1939 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,176,094 7 METHOD or TREATING srnn METAL Carl E. Moore, Gary, Ind. Y

Application May 29, 1936, Serial No. 82,587

4 Claims.

This invention relates to strip metal, and more particularly to the treatment of extremely wide and thin varieties thereof.

In the art o'f'cold-rolllng strip metal of extreme width (such as 84 inches) and extreme thinness (such as 18 to 38 gage) considerable difficulty is experienced in attempting to coil it as it emerges from the metal working rolls of the mill. Most of this material is intended for drawing and forming operations, and is softened by heat-treatment to obtain ductility. Such material is often required to present surfaces which are very smooth and flat and, in addition, a certain degree of stiffness which, while not affecting its ductility, is often necessary if it is to be coated.

This slight (or superficial) stiffening may be obtained, together with the requisite smoothness and flatness, by lightly cold-rolling, or tempering, the strip metal. The amount of reduction by such a cold-rolling, or tempering, operation isv often less than 5% whereby the gage, or thickness, is only minutely affected. It is, however, very difficult to handle the strip metal immediately after it emerges from .the metal working rolls of the mill. This is due to the fact that its very softness and extremely light gage require it to be fed out of the mill under tension; otherwise it will not be fiat. a

The flat and ductile strip metal when coiled under tension tends to buckle and become very wavy and particularly when the material is extremely wide and thin and the speed of coiling is fast. These buckled and wavy portions are deleterious and are known as welt These welts do not necessarily occur on the initial convolution of the coil. Once they are started their presence is not only maintained but becomes more acutefbeing cumulative more or less in prop ,rtion to the succeedingconvolutions which form the coil. Frequently these welts" are not manifest until the strip metal is uncoiled subsequent tothe light cold-rolling.

It is often necessary to resort to two or more passes at low speed and with the lowest possible tension in order that the formation of welts be avoided. This is, of course, a very expensive measure.

Frequently certain portions of the strip are shorter, because of short longitudinally extending metallic fibers which should be elongated to substantially the same dimensions as the longer fibers which extend in the same direction. This is diflicult to perform because it necessitates substantial tension on the take-up reel which causes the formation of welts. on material of this type.

It is among the objects of the, present invention to cold-roll, or temper, extremely wide and thin strip metal to good flatness without sacrifice in speed or tension.

- The foregoing and other objects will be apparent after referring to the. drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a conventional 4-high cold-reducing mill employing the apparatus of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an elevation on the line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is-an enlarged detail.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of form of the invention. r

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a housing, which supports a pair of metal working rolls 3. These metal working rolls 3 are driven from a motor 4 through a coupling 5, speed-reducer 6, coupling 1, pinion stand 8 and pinion stand couplings 9, in the order indicated,

The metal working rolls 3 are preferably held against axial deflection by a pair of idle ,backingup rolls l2 which are also supported in the housing 2.

On-one side of the housing 2 there is disposed a suitably journaled cone type pay-off reel l3 which is coupled to a motor generatorset I4. The opposing cone-heads l5 of the cone type pay-01f reel I3 are simultaneously movable toward and away from each other-by means of gearing (not shown) which is drivenby motor [6 through speed-reducers l1.

On the other, or exit, side of thehousing 2 there is disposed a collapsible take-up reel l8 which is driven by a motor I9 through a speedreducer 20., The coil of strip metal M when released from the collapsible take-up'reel I8 is capable of being retracted from the line of pass a modified of the mill by means of a wheeled cradle 2| which rides on rails 22. This wheeled cradle 2! is moved by a hydraulic plungerunit 24.

A guide roll 25 is disposed on the entrance side of the metal working rolls 3 and a flat top guide 26 on. the exit side thereof. These devices guide the strip metal M to and from the metal working rolls 3.

The next coil of strip metal M is brought into proper alinement with the retractable cone-heads l5 of the reel l3 by a hydraulic plunger 28 which carries a pair of rollers 29. I

-According to .the teaching of the present invention the strip metal M must be tensioned in the manner previously mentioned as it leaves the metal working rolls 3, and then delivered to the take-up reel I B in an untensioned state, or condition. In order to accomplish this there are provided a plurality of spaced apart rolls 32 and 32' which are parallel to each other and to the,

metal working "rolls 3: The rolls 32 and 32 are mounted on housing brackets 33 and are driven in unison by a motor 34 through a coupling 35, 6o

speed-reducer 36 and shafts 31. Their surface speed is slightly faster than the surface speed of the metal working rolls 3. These rolls 32 and 32' are shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings as being constructed and arranged to frictionally engage the strip metal M over arcs which are subtended by angles of approximately 225 degrees, and apply thereto tension which is sufiicient to stretch only the short longitudinally extending fibers of the metal. The necessary amount of tension is easily ascertained and should be maintained below that which would be required to elongate the strip metal M over its entire Width.

The frictional engaging areas of the spaced apart rolls 32 and 32' must be large in order to accomplish the necessary amount of tension.

Conventional pinch rolls will not perform satisfactorily because they do not individually provide sufiicient frictional engaging areas to prevent slippage. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that a larger number of rolls 32 will be employed in lieu of those illustrated; whereby they would, taken individually, require less strip metal engaging area. However, the number of rolls and frictional engaging area established thereby must be of a magnitude which is suflicient to prevent slippage. In any event the cumulative strip metal engaging area must be frictionally sufiicient, and individual rolls 32, even if employed in greater number, should provide arcs of contact which are subtended by substantial angles. That is to say, there must be suifiicent frictional engaging area on each roll 32 to prevent slippage; otherwise the strip metal M will be scratched. The approximate 225 degree arcs of the two superimposed rolls 32 of Figures 1 and 3 have performed very satisfactorily in the matter of providing the necessary amount of tension.

An idle roller 38 is positioned adjacent the bottom of the lower roll 32 on its exit side to enable maximum contact of the strip metal M therewith. This idle roller 38 is mounted on a shaft which is reciprocable in the housing brackets. 33 by handwheels 40 at both sides of the latter. These handwheels 40 are mounted on a single shaft 39 which carries a pair of worms 4|. The worms 4| operate worm gears 42 which are screwthreadedly mounted on shafts 43. Each of the 'shafts 43 is connected to the shaft on which the idle roller 38 is mounted.

Under some circumstances it may be somewhat diflicult to wrap the free end of the strip metal M around the lower roll 32 and, in order to obviate such contingency, there is provided an endless belt 45 which encircles a substantial portion A of the periphery of this roll on its inner, and therefore less accessible, side. This endless belt 45 is supported by a suitable series of relatively small idle rolls 46 which are spring-tensioned toward the lower roll 32 in any convenient manner.

The tension imparted by the rolls 32 is suflicient to stretch only the short longitudinally extending fibers of the metal; whereby it need not elongate the strip over its entire width. The power-driven metal working rolls 3 must be capable of delivering the stripmetal M therefrom, as the rolls 32 are not intended to provide sufficient tension to pull the same, therethrough.

although their surface speeds are slightly faster.

The power required to drive the rolls 32 is by itself insumcient to actually move the strip metal.

Referring more particularly to Figure 5, a modified form of the invention is shown as comprising the feeding of the strip metal M from the upper roll 32 directly to a pair' o'f guiding pinch rolls 48 which supply a subsequent processing device, such as shear, side-slitter, coating machine, etc., (none of which are shown). Such an arrangement permits close inspection immediately after the cold-reduction, due to its untensioned state.

While I have shown and described several specific embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, as defined by the following claims.

I claim: 7

1. The method of treating strip metal which includes cold-reducing the strip metal to approximately the desired gage, annealing the cold-reduced strip metal, temper-rolling the annealed strip metal in a cold-rolling mill whereby the strip metal is characterized by a wavy surface which is produced by longitudinally extending metallic fibers of unequal length, withdrawing the temper-rolled material from the cold-rolling mill by passing the same between a plurality of power-driven spaced apart rolls which are constructed and arranged to tension the temperrolled strip metal sufliciently to stretch the shorter of the longitudinally extending fibers of the metal without elongating it over its entire width, and delivering the strip metal from the power-driven spaced apart rolls in a substantially untensioned state.

2. The method of treating strip metal which includes temper-mulling the strip metal in a coldrolling mill, withdrawing the temper-rolled material from the cold-rolling mill by passing the same between a plurality of power-driven spaced apart rolls which are constructed and arranged to tension the temper-rolled strip metal sufficiently to stretch the shorter of the longitudinally extending fibers of the metal without elongating it over its entire width, and delivering the strip metal from the power-driven spaced apart rolls in a substantially untensioned state.

3. Apparatus for treating strip metal comprising, in combination, a cold-rolling mill arranged to perform very light reductions to there- ,by temper the work-piece, and a plurality of power-driven spaced apart feed rolls at the outlet end of said cold-rolling mill, said feed rolls being constructed and arranged to withdraw the temper-rolled strip metal from said cold-rolling mill under tension which is sufliclent to stretch the short longitudinally extending fibers of the metal without elongating the strip over its entire width.

4, The method of treating strip meta. which includes the steps of cold-reducing the strip metal to approximately the desired thickness, annealing the cold-reduced strip metal; temperrolling the annealed strip metal whereby it is characterized by a wavy surface which is produced by longitudinally extending metal fibers of unequal length, and stretching theshorter of the longitudinally extending metal fibers without changing the thickness of the metal strip.

cam. ,n. MOORE. 

